Ancestral Integrated Water Management Systems as Adaptation Tools for Climate Change: The Acequias De Careo and Historical Water Management of the Mecina River in Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain)

Historical water management systems, in operation since the Islamic period (eighth to fifteenth centuries), have generated important irrigated areas and transformed the landscapes in a co-evolutionary process over more than a thousand years. In the Sierra Nevada, the so-called acequias de careo stand out as a singular technical system for water recharge from the thaw. This way of managing surface- and groundwater, as well as soil and vegetation, while generating social, economic, and environmental benefits, is an example of Integrated Water Management and Nature-based Solutions. This system has proven its efficiency and resilience, having been operational since the Middle Ages. The abandonment of these water management systems is an irreparable cultural and environmental loss. The transdisciplinarity of this case study can be considered a success and a good example for its application in other geographical and cultural contexts promoting sustainable and resilience solutions based on historical socio-ecological systems and local ecological knowledge and practices.

Automated summary

Historical water management systems have played a significant role in transforming landscapes and creating irrigated areas for over a thousand years. The acequias de careo system, a unique technique for recharging water from thaw, highlights the integrated management of surface water, groundwater, soil, and vegetation, leading to social, economic, and environmental benefits. The abandonment of these systems represents a cultural and environmental loss. This case study demonstrates the success and potential of applying sustainable and resilient solutions based on historical socio-ecological systems and local ecological knowledge and practices in different geographical and cultural contexts.